North Karnataka Braces for By-Election Showdown in Sandur and Shiggaon

 Mangaluru: The public campaign for the by-elections scheduled on November 13 concluded on Monday evening. All eyes are on Shiggaon and Sandur in North Karnataka which have been a bastion of BJP and Congress respectively since 2008.

Interestingly the two leaders Basavaraj Bommai and E Tukaram have been representing Shiggaon and Sandur respectively since 2008 and the by-election is being held after both of them won the recent parliament election. While BJP has fielded Basavaraj Bommai’s son Bharath Bommai as its candidate in its stronghold Shiggaon, Congress has fielded Tukaram’s wife Annapoorna as its candidate in its stronghold Sandur.

Sandur: A Congress Stronghold on the Line

Sandur has long been a bastion for the Congress party, with its grip solidified since the seat was classified as reserved for Scheduled Tribes post-delimitation. Here, the Congress has consistently won (except in 1985 and 2004), most recently through MLA E Tukaram. His ascent to MP in the recent election after winning the seat for four times has left the seat open for a fierce contest. Confident of retaining the seat, Congress has fielded Tukaram's wife, Annapoorna, banking on her ties with the constituency and the support of influential leaders led by Minister Santosh Lad.

CM Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar too camped here and held extensive campaign to retain the seat.

The BJP, however, is hoping to break Congress’s hold for the first time, with Bangaru Hanumantha, the BJP state chief of the ST Morcha, now in the fray. Although Hanumantha contested as an independent in 2018, he is now backed by a JD(S) alliance, adding strength to BJP's bid. The campaign here saw an intense ground game, with heavyweights like Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, and Santosh Lad rallying for Congress, highlighting the party's schemes and condemning alleged mismanagement by the BJP-led central government and reminding the people about the ‘dark days during the rule of Reddy brothers.’

In a counter-effort, BJP’s senior leaders led by BS Yediyurappa and mining baron G. Janardhan Reddy campaigned intensively, banking on anti-incumbency sentiments and various controversies surrounding the Congress-led state government. The battle in Sandur has turned into a prestige issue for Congress, and any slip-up could tarnish the party’s control over one of its traditional strongholds.

Shiggaon: The Bommai Legacy in Focus

While Sandur is a Congress stronghold, Shiggaon stands as a BJP bastion, firmly held by Basavaraj Bommai since he joined the party in 2008. Bommai’s successive victories consolidated Shiggaon under BJP's fold, a legacy he reinforced through development projects until his recent election as MP for Haveri. This by-election now sees BJP fielding his son, Bharath Bommai, who is counting on both his father’s legacy and substantial support from BJP stalwarts like BS Yediyurappa and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi.

For BJP, a win here is critical. Shiggaon is under the Dharwad parliamentary constituency, represented by Pralhad Joshi, and a loss could be perceived as a setback for both Joshi and the Bommai family. BJP’s campaign has emphasized Bommai’s contributions to Shiggaon’s development, and capitalize on internal party friction in the Congress and candidate selection controversies.

On the Congress front, the party draws confidence from its recent parliamentary performance in Shiggaon segment where it led by 8,000 votes over BJP in the Dharwad parliament seat. The Congress is also banking on anti-incumbency and the failure during the BJP government, hoping they resonate with voters.

In addition to the local issues and anti-incumbency all eyes are on how the state issues like the MUDA scam, Valmiki Corporation misappropriation, Waqf issue would affect the election.

The election will also be interesting as the BJP-JD(S) coalition is on one side and Congress on the other side. While the coalition was formed during the parliament election, people are keen to see how it works during the election related to the state.